Thursday, November 24, 2016

thoughtful thanksgiving ride

It was warm enough, and mostly dry enough, for me to get in a moderate 20 miles this morning.

On the way I had some thoughts about family. I have some millennial nephews who supported Trump (or at least, did not support Hillary; the two amount to the same thing, although the purist young folks may not believe so), and I've been panicked about what to say to them today if the issue of politics comes up. I don't want to just write them off (well, I do, but The Excellent Wife (TEW) would not be happy if I did). I've been practicing evasive responses to the issues that might come up, but on the ride I came up with this:

"Please, let's not talk about this today. I'm still too raw. There may be a day when we can discuss these things and wind up with me not hating you, but today is not that day, and hating you is not an outcome I want. Please, let's talk about anything else, but not this, not today."

I thought about the Alt-Right movement, and the arrogance of the most powerful class of people in the world complaining that their issues are not heard. I thought about the things for which I'm grateful: TEW, money in the bank, being employed (and having coworkers with whom I get along), friends, bikes.

I went up Coppermine today (I didn't think I had it in me, but I did, of course), and, as I was gathering speed to come down Old Georgetown at a whippy pace, I saw a loose dog in the road: one of the homeowners had allowed the dog to run free. I avoided eye contact and slowed; the dog barked and tracked my heels, as the owner called him back. Everything was fine, but I didn't get up to my usual speed on the Old Georgetown downhill. Hrmph. There are worse problems.

A light rain started about 2-3 miles from home (it's stopped since); just enough so I get credit for a Rule 9 ride.

And, of course, I'll be out later eating all kinds of good things, and putting on more winter weight. Life is sometimes good. Here's hoping yours is, too.

No comments:

Post a Comment